title: Smectic pores and defect cores.
abstract: Riemann's minimal surfaces, a one-parameter family of minimal surfaces, describe a bicontinuous lamellar system with pores connecting alternating layers. We demonstrate explicitly that Riemann's minimal surfaces are composed of a nonlinear sum of two oppositely handed helicoids.
authors.affiliation: Princeton Center for Theoretical Science, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA ; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Elisabetta A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Randall D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Kamien
authors.forename: Christian D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Santangelo
keywords: minimal surfaces; smectic liquid crystals; topological defects